The Chief Minister of Sierra Leone, Dr. David Moinina Sengeh, during a bilateral meeting with Bill Gates, has made a case for Sierra Leone to benefit from the Gates Foundation’s Technology Funding.

The Chief Minister made this case on the margins of the Grand Challenges Annual meeting in Dakar, where he spoke about technological innovations underway in Sierra Leone.

Dr. Sengeh on October 10, 2023 participated in a panel discussion on Artificial Intelligence (AI) for the World: Advancing Inclusive and Equitable Use of Artificial Intelligence.

Speaking on the topic, the Chief Minister who is also the Chief Innovation Officer said that it was important to have policy makers and technology experts in a room to discuss how can the people own technology and how technologies can transform Sierra Leone’s ‘Feed Salone’, a flagship of His Excellency President Dr. Julius Maada Bio’s second term in office.

He also spoke about digitising farmers as one key component of easing agriculture. Stating: “Hybrid technology will be empowered in a way that we can”.

The meeting is supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and its Grand Challenge Partners. It has become the preeminent forum for global health and  convenes a dynamic community of researchers and practitioners and provides a platform to learn about cutting-edge scientific advances, build new local, regional and global collaborations and explore how to build a more effective, inclusive and equitable ecosystem for global health research and development.

The other panelists are Bill Gates, Julian Rotich, Head of Fintech Integration- Kenya, and Dr. Sabin Nsanzimana, Minister of Health Rwanda. CNN’s Larry Madowo is moderating this session.